


A Simple Footnote

by storyhaus



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 09:03:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13361229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyhaus/pseuds/storyhaus
Summary: Julian and Garak go back in time to Terok Nor, but how and why?





	A Simple Footnote

A SIMPLE FOOTNOTE  
(This story appeared in Beyond The Wire #3)

Julian Bashir stretched as he walked out of the Infirmary.  
He'd just spent the last two hours helping Dr. Garrani save a drunk Bolian's life when he walked through a plate glass window which had been installed just this afternoon by one of the merchants upstairs.  
Dr. Garrani had paged him out of a sound sleep and they had worked feverishly to save the blue skinned aliens life.  
Julian yawned deeply and figured it had to be after three.  
He started back to bed when he realized there was something out of place on the Promenade,but it wasn't Morn who was asleep on the bench in front of Quark's as he had a habit of doing.  
No,it was....Garak's.  
There was a light on in his shop.  
Julian walked over and reached for the comm. when he noticed the door was ajar.  
He went inside and down the steps cautiously.  
"Garak? Are you in here?"  
He frowned when he got no response and turned to leave and notify security when his enhanced hearing picked up a low level hum from the changing area.  
He walked back and slid the curtain aside and found an odd piece of equipment which stood about a meter tall.  
Julian circled it trying to figure out what it was.  
It was glowing slightly and he reached out his fingertips to touch it when there was a flash.  
He stumbled back and blinked furiously to clear his vision of the spots the flash had caused.  
"What the hell are you involved in Garak?"  
He said aloud then froze as he heard laughter a short distance away.  
It was unmistakably Cardassian.  
"You there! You Bajoran! Come out into the open!"  
Julian looked around to see who the alien was talking to and gasped.  
Everywhere he looked there were Cardassians.  
There were Bajoran's to,most in tattered clothing.  
This is....this is just like Jadzia described when she,Odo,Sisko and Garak had been trapped in Odo's version of the 'great link'.  
How did this happen?  
More importantly,how do I get back to DS9?  
Garak!  
I have to find Garak!  
Julian was startled when he was seized by rough hands and drug out onto the Promenade.  
"You think you're better than us Bajoran?!?"  
"No." Julian breathed quickly.  
"Maybe he was spying on us for one of those pitiful resistance groups." The mans companion answered.  
"Is that true Bajoran,were you spying on us?"  
"No,not at all." Julian said feeling a little scared.  
The Cardassian's laughed out loud.  
"So what should we do with him?" The first one asked.  
"I have an idea." The second one grinned.

 

Julian found himself sandwiched between the two Cardassian's as they rode the turbolift.  
Julian's hand started to tingle since the Cardassian hadn't seen fit to release his wrist.  
The lift jerked and continued on its journey and Julian thanked God that Miles kept their's running smoothly at least.  
The lift came to a stop in Ops and Julian was pulled along to the Captain's office.  
The 'Prefects' office,he unconsciously corrected himself.  
No....Gul Dukat's office.

 

"Enter." Dukat called.  
He stood as two of his officers came in with a Bajoran in tow.  
"We found him spying on us."  
"Really? Well,we'll have to---what in the name of Cardassia happened to your nose?" Dukat asked.  
Julian didn't answer,he was too busy staring at Garak who sat on the couch with a drink in his hand and looking back just as stunned.  
"I asked you a question." Dukat said annoyed.  
"I was born this way." Julian answered as he turned his attention to Dukat.  
"Your father must have been human. What about your mother?"  
"She's dead." Julian answered quickly to avoid any further questions.  
"Oh...I am sorry. How did it happen?"  
Nice job Julian!  
He glanced at Garak for help and found the obfuscatious tailor patting his heart.  
What does that mean?  
Coronary thrombosis? Congestive heart failure?  
"She had Kalla-Nohra Syndrome."  
Julian was as surprised as anyone else that that came out of his mouth.  
He saw out the corner of his eye Garak nod and smile nearly imperceptably.  
Where in the world had that come from?  
"Hmmm. Gallitep. That was a shame. Gul Darhe'el was a great patriot."  
Julian nearly erupted at Dukat.  
Gul Darhe'el was a monster who'd committed unspeakable atrocities against the Bajoran's who were enslaved there!

 

Garak stood to ward off his young friend'simpending outburst.  
"Gul Dukat,perhaps I should question him,see if he is indeed a spy."  
"Be gentle with him Garak." Dukat grinned as Garak took hold of Julian's arm.  
"Come my dear boy,you and I have some things to discuss."  
Dukat picked up his glass as they left.  
"Damar to Gul Dukat,Kotran Pa'Dar is here to see you sir." Dukat sighed and placed his full glass of Kanar in the reclimator. "I'll be right there."  
Julian and Garak rode the turbolift in silence since both knew it was probably bugged by Dukat.  
Garak again took hold of his arm and led him to an empty quarter's and locked the door.  
"Now,you can tell me what you are doing here!"  
"You seem to have the answers so why don't you tell me?" Julian retorted.  
"Don't play games Doctor! This is neither the time nor the place!"  
"I saw the lights on in your shop and was curious as to why you'd be up at three in the morning when I found this odd looking   
device---"  
"Did you touch it?!?" Garak demanded.  
"No! Of course not,but then I found myself in this night mare! What is going on?"  
"You really have no idea do you?" Garak laughed.  
"Garak! I'm tired and I don't have time for your games! Now tell me what is going on."  
"Doctor,the answer is right in front of you,just like the crumbs."  
"Garak!"  
The Cardassian looked at him with wide-eyed  
innocence.  
He probably wasn't even born innocent,Julian thought as he began to pace.  
"A time portal,it was some sort of time portal."  
"Go on."  
"It transported you back...can it send you forward,into our future?"  
"Unfortunately no."  
"Why would you want to go back in time?"  
Garak must have tired of the game too because he actually answered.  
"To make some corrections."  
"Corrections? What--? Oh,Garak,you can't!  
You can't alter history!"  
"And why not? If I take care of key personnel now there won't be any Dominion on Cardassia,thus no war and no ship after ship of casualties for you to wear yourself out tending to!"  
Julian looked at him a moment.  
"You're here to assassinate Dukat." He assessed.  
"Very good,you've learned a great deal."  
"Garak you can't. That's not the way things are."  
"You really don't want me too? Not even if it brings back the lovely Jadzia?" Garak asked quietly.  
Julian was tempted,very much so.  
To have Jadzia back in his life...  
NO! That's not reality.  
Ezri is real.  
The war is real.  
This isn't real.  
"No Garak,I can't let you do this."  
"And how do you propose to stop me?"  
"With words I hope. Garak,think about this. If you kill Dukat someone else will just take his place."  
"Maybe so,but in dispatching Dukat,I would have no greater pleasure!"  
"Garak,are you going to spend the rest of your life going back in time to assassinate anyone who poses a threat to the Cardassian state? And what about the Dominion? What if they get wind of this little Obsidian Order experiment? They would move hell and high water to get their hands on it and then where would the Cardassian state,not to mention the entire Alpha Quadrant,be?"  
"You've gotten very good with the persuasion."  
"I'm asking you,for your own people,for my people,please,don't assassinate him. History writes its own course Garak,we're only a simple footnote in it."  
"It would have been easier to kill Dukat." Garak replied dryly.  
"But you won't?" Julian asked.  
"No Doctor,I won't."  
"Good,now can we get out of here?"  
"I agree with that idea."   
Garak removed a remote and pressed a button and hoped it worked since Bashir had gotten here without it.  
Must have been a malfunction in the device back on DS9,he thought silently as he pressed the remote.

Julian breathed relieved as they reappeared in the changing area of the shop.  
"It is good to be home!" He added.  
"I must say I do find things in this time to be much more pleasant." Garak agreed as hedisengaged the machine and the light went out on it.  
"Do me a favor Garak...destroy that thing,before someone less thoughtful gets ahold of it."  
"Perhaps you're right."  
"Good."  
"I'll see you in the morning Doctor." Garak answered and walked him to the door.  
"I mean it Garak,please destroy that device. I'd hate not to know you because of it."  
"That's very kind Doctor." Garak answered as he opened the door and showed him out.  
"One more thing...would you really have killed Dukat if I hadn't shown up?"  
"Let's just say that the Bajoran resistance would have been successful with their assassination attempt at that time."  
Julian shook his head.  
"I'm glad you're my friend and not my enemy."  
"As am I. Good night Doctor."  
Julian waved and headed to the habitat ring.

 

Garak looked at the time portal and sighed.  
He placed the engagement device on top of the machine and pulled his Cardassian phaser from his inner jacket pocket and set it to vaporize then fired.  
In a split second the machine was nothing more than a puff of smoke.  
Sorry father,the Doctor is right.  
These are uncertain times and this device is more of a liability than an asset.  
Garak walked to the door and turned out the lights then locked it behind him.  
"Hold it! What's going on? The computer reported weapons fire on the Promenade!" Two security guards demanded as they ran up with weapons drawn.  
"Oh,I killed a vole. The wretched creature chewed up my best holographic mannequin!"  
The two men exchanged a glance and frowned at him.  
"No weapons on the Promenade!" The senior of the two rebuked.  
"Well it's a good thing I had it! Just imagine the mess we'd have on our hands if it had chewed through the power conduits. Now,if you gentlemen will excuse me,it's late and I'm very tired." Garak said as he bowed and swept past them as he started for the habitat ring.  
"Cardassian's!" The senior officer muttered.

 

Garak hesitated a moment outside of Julian's door.  
He knew the Doctor was in bed and probably fast asleep by now.  
How ironic it is.  
You,my dear Doctor,were the one to save Dukat's life...before you even knew what was going on.  
If Julian hadn't been brought to the 'Prefect's office' when he had,Dukat would have ingested a slow acting poison and been dead by morning.  
Pity.  
But his time will come...it will come.

 

Garak smiled at that certainty and headed to bed himself.

 

 

THE END

 

�


End file.
